Published: Friday, June 1, 2012 at 4:14 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, June 1, 2012 at 7:32 p.m.

DESTIN — The undisputed king of college football conferences has spoken.

The SEC wants a national playoff that features the four highest-ranked teams at the end of the season, with the semifinals being held in bowl games and the national championship game bid out separately.

The league announced its stance on the four-team playoff at the conclusion of the SEC's annual spring meetings Friday.

“We're unanimously supportive of a four-team playoff. We think it should be the four best teams,” Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said. “It was unanimous. I think that's what the public wants, the four best teams.

“Where it's played, selection process and all the details, those will be worked out. We didn't even get into that. This league is firm in its believe that it should be the four best teams.”

The SEC could face some resistance on its stance for the playoff to feature the four best teams. Some other conferences have indicated they would like all conference champions in the playoff. Alabama won last year's national championship without even winning its division.

“I have not deviated from this position,” SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said. “When we go to a four-team playoff, which I anticipate we are, that our fans would expect us to provide the best four teams in the country. One, two, three, four.

“If people aren't happy with the current system of how we rank them, then let's go back and look at the system. We think a playoff should be the top four teams in the country. That's our current position.”

Slive said when the playoff is adopted, probably later this month, that it needs to be a long-term deal, for at least beyond four years.

The league also announced Friday that, as expected, it has adopted new schedule formats in football and basketball to accommodate a new 14-team lineup.

The new 6-1-1 football format will preserve the SEC's most traditional rivalries (Florida vs. LSU, Alabama vs. Tennessee and Georgia vs. Auburn). Basketball is going to an 18-game league schedule with one permanent opponent.

The 14 football coaches were somewhat divided over three different possible formats earlier in the week, but the athletic directors and presidents strongly supported the 6-1-1 format (six division games, one permanent opponent from the opposite division and one rotating opponent), and it was passed Friday.

“It was a topic of debate,” Slive said. “But it was an overwhelming majority for the 6-1-1, even beyond the super majority.”

In the 6-1-1, the one rotating opponent on the schedule will change every year.

The new format will go into effect in 2013.

Foley said preserving rivalries was a big part of 6-1-1 gaining approval. UF coach Will Muschamp said earlier at the meetings that he was in favor of the format.

“We (UF) like that, we supported it,” Foley said. “The football schedule is something that will continue to be studied. (Preserving rivalries) is a huge factor in 6-1-1.

“Not even just traditional rivalries. There are some rivalries that are getting started that people really like, fans like, athletic directors and presidents like. Rivalries certainly were part of that conversation.”

The league also considered a 6-2 format (six division games, two rotating opponents, no permanent opponents from the opposite division) and a nine-game schedule.

Foley was asked if the league would reconsider a nine-game conference in the future.

“You don't want to speculate what's going to happen down the road,” Foley said. “Florida is not in favor of a nine-game schedule. This league is tough enough when you play Florida State.

“I think scheduling in this conference … it won't be looked at every single time we come to Destin.”

Slive would not commit on a timetable for the league coming up with the 2013 football schedule.

“Now that the schedule gurus know what the format is going to be, they can put together some models and I assume we'll talk about those later this summer or this fall,” Foley said.

For basketball, the coaches showed unanimous support for a new 18-game schedule that was adopted by the presidents and chancellors Friday.

The new basketball schedule format features one permanent rival and 12 rotating opponents. It will take three years for teams to play each of the other 12 rotating opponents the same number of times (four total — two home and two away).

During that three-year period, each team will play its permanent rival six times. Each team will play its rotating opponents a total of four times during the three-year period.

The women will not have the same schedule format in basketball. The women will play a 16-game schedule with one permanent opponent.

While most of the focus this week has been on the football playoff and scheduling, the league also had serious conversations about concussions in all sports.

“We will be adopting a working group charged with reviewing all the data (in all sports) and diagnosis guidelines looking at standards of practice and bringing recommendations back to the league for further consideration,” said UF president Bernie Machen, the league's president.

Said Slive: “The bottom line is: how do we protect our student-athletes?”

The league also announced the addition of a new sport Friday. Four schools — Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas A&M — are starting equestrian programs. Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan's daughter, Hasbrouck, has already signed a letter-of-intent with Auburn to participate in equestrian.

Once again, the SEC also revealed Friday that it is pretty much recession-proof. The league announced it distributed a record $241.5 million to the 12 SEC institutions for the 2011-12 fiscal year. It's a 9.8 increase from a year ago. The average amount distributed to each school is $20.1 million.

Contact Robbie Andreu at 352-374-5022 or andreur@gvillesun.com. Also check out Andreu's blog at Gatorsports.com.

<p>DESTIN — The undisputed king of college football conferences has spoken.</p><p>The SEC wants a national playoff that features the four highest-ranked teams at the end of the season, with the semifinals being held in bowl games and the national championship game bid out separately.</p><p>The league announced its stance on the four-team playoff at the conclusion of the SEC's annual spring meetings Friday.</p><p>“We're unanimously supportive of a four-team playoff. We think it should be the four best teams,” Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said. “It was unanimous. I think that's what the public wants, the four best teams.</p><p>“Where it's played, selection process and all the details, those will be worked out. We didn't even get into that. This league is firm in its believe that it should be the four best teams.”</p><p>The SEC could face some resistance on its stance for the playoff to feature the four best teams. Some other conferences have indicated they would like all conference champions in the playoff. Alabama won last year's national championship without even winning its division.</p><p>“I have not deviated from this position,” SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said. “When we go to a four-team playoff, which I anticipate we are, that our fans would expect us to provide the best four teams in the country. One, two, three, four.</p><p>“If people aren't happy with the current system of how we rank them, then let's go back and look at the system. We think a playoff should be the top four teams in the country. That's our current position.”</p><p>Slive said when the playoff is adopted, probably later this month, that it needs to be a long-term deal, for at least beyond four years.</p><p> The league also announced Friday that, as expected, it has adopted new schedule formats in football and basketball to accommodate a new 14-team lineup.</p><p>The new 6-1-1 football format will preserve the SEC's most traditional rivalries (Florida vs. LSU, Alabama vs. Tennessee and Georgia vs. Auburn). Basketball is going to an 18-game league schedule with one permanent opponent.</p><p>The 14 football coaches were somewhat divided over three different possible formats earlier in the week, but the athletic directors and presidents strongly supported the 6-1-1 format (six division games, one permanent opponent from the opposite division and one rotating opponent), and it was passed Friday.</p><p>“It was a topic of debate,” Slive said. “But it was an overwhelming majority for the 6-1-1, even beyond the super majority.”</p><p>In the 6-1-1, the one rotating opponent on the schedule will change every year.</p><p>The new format will go into effect in 2013.</p><p>Foley said preserving rivalries was a big part of 6-1-1 gaining approval. UF coach Will Muschamp said earlier at the meetings that he was in favor of the format.</p><p>“We (UF) like that, we supported it,” Foley said. “The football schedule is something that will continue to be studied. (Preserving rivalries) is a huge factor in 6-1-1.</p><p>“Not even just traditional rivalries. There are some rivalries that are getting started that people really like, fans like, athletic directors and presidents like. Rivalries certainly were part of that conversation.”</p><p>The league also considered a 6-2 format (six division games, two rotating opponents, no permanent opponents from the opposite division) and a nine-game schedule.</p><p>Foley was asked if the league would reconsider a nine-game conference in the future.</p><p>“You don't want to speculate what's going to happen down the road,” Foley said. “Florida is not in favor of a nine-game schedule. This league is tough enough when you play Florida State.</p><p>“I think scheduling in this conference … it won't be looked at every single time we come to Destin.”</p><p>Slive would not commit on a timetable for the league coming up with the 2013 football schedule.</p><p>“Now that the schedule gurus know what the format is going to be, they can put together some models and I assume we'll talk about those later this summer or this fall,” Foley said.</p><p>For basketball, the coaches showed unanimous support for a new 18-game schedule that was adopted by the presidents and chancellors Friday.</p><p>The new basketball schedule format features one permanent rival and 12 rotating opponents. It will take three years for teams to play each of the other 12 rotating opponents the same number of times (four total — two home and two away).</p><p>During that three-year period, each team will play its permanent rival six times. Each team will play its rotating opponents a total of four times during the three-year period.</p><p>The women will not have the same schedule format in basketball. The women will play a 16-game schedule with one permanent opponent.</p><p>While most of the focus this week has been on the football playoff and scheduling, the league also had serious conversations about concussions in all sports.</p><p>“We will be adopting a working group charged with reviewing all the data (in all sports) and diagnosis guidelines looking at standards of practice and bringing recommendations back to the league for further consideration,” said UF president Bernie Machen, the league's president.</p><p> Said Slive: “The bottom line is: how do we protect our student-athletes?”</p><p> The league also announced the addition of a new sport Friday. Four schools — Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas A&M — are starting equestrian programs. Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan's daughter, Hasbrouck, has already signed a letter-of-intent with Auburn to participate in equestrian.</p><p>Once again, the SEC also revealed Friday that it is pretty much recession-proof. The league announced it distributed a record $241.5 million to the 12 SEC institutions for the 2011-12 fiscal year. It's a 9.8 increase from a year ago. The average amount distributed to each school is $20.1 million.</p><p><i>Contact Robbie Andreu at 352-374-5022 or andreur@gvillesun.com. Also check out Andreu's blog at Gatorsports.com.</i></p>